


Armin vs The Teddy Bear

by Shadowtravelingtitans



Series: Jearmin Week 2020 [3]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Established Relationship, Infidelity, Jealousy, Jearmin Week 2020, M/M, Two Endings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-18
Updated: 2020-07-17
Packaged: 2021-03-05 07:41:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,654
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25347148
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shadowtravelingtitans/pseuds/Shadowtravelingtitans
Summary: Except that now Jean seemed to prefer cuddling with the bear instead of him.Again, this was so stupid.Armin felt like he could laugh or cry in this case, it really could go either way. He was jealous of a teddy bear. A teddy bear they named together. That he bought. To make his boyfriend happy. A fuc-OrArmin is jealous of an inanimate object. Two different endings: fluff or angst, you decide.
Relationships: Armin Arlert/Jean Kirstein
Series: Jearmin Week 2020 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1829650
Comments: 1
Kudos: 16





	1. Fluff Ending

**Author's Note:**

> I couldn't decide whether to make this an angsty fic or a fluffy fic, so I decided to do both. The first chapter will have the fluff ending. The second the angsty ending. Read one or the other, or both. Have fun.

It was stupid.

It was so incredibly, stupid.

Except, despite knowing this, Armin found himself glaring at the stuffed teddy bear currently perched on his boyfriend’s bed. It was a huge thing, five feet tall and super fluffy, brown bear with a cute red scarf wrapped around their neck. They had even affectionately named the bear Mikasa, because of the scarf and the fact that their friend was currently overseas studying. Except now with Jean’s constant attachment to Mikasa the bear, if wasn’t so much as comforting as frustrating. If anyone is to blame for the utter hell Armin was currently experiencing it was himself.

Really, this was his punishment for spoiling his boyfriend. There was no need for him to have bought such a huge teddy bear for his birthday. Armin sighed. How could he resist making his Jean happy.

Except that now Jean seemed to prefer cuddling with the bear instead of him. 

Again, this was so stupid.

Armin felt like he could laugh or cry in this case, it really could go either way. He was jealous of a teddy bear. A teddy bear they named together. That he bought. To make his boyfriend happy. A fuc-

“Hey, babe, want to watch a movie?” Jean interrupts his train of thought, his head peeking through the doorway between the kitchen and the living room.

“Sure, pick anything you want.” He says, immediately regretting it when he sees Jean smirk and hears him snicker.

When he sits in front of their television and the title sequence for the 2018 remake of Halloween appears he realizes that this night might end with Jean clinging to him, despite his insistence that nothing scares him.

Except five minutes into the movie Jean pauses it and gets up to get something he ‘needs’ and returns a minute later with Mikasa. The. Damn. Teddy bear. Armin has to use all his willpower not to groan in frustration. While Jean spends the entire movie engrossed with the bloody deaths and clutching Mikasa, Armin spends it stuck in his head. He shouldn’t be upset that Jean has something that gives him comfort, he really shouldn’t. Especially since it was something he had given him. In fact it should make him proud, happy even. Logically it’s beyond stupid. Still, it digs at an old insecurity that he’s tried to hide for years. That Jean might not actually love him, that he’s just biding his time till someone better comes along. Someone like Mikasa.

Armin is so absorbed in his self-doubt that he doesn’t notice the movie ending or Jean getting up to turn on the lights. It takes Jean kneeling down in front him, hands gently rubbing his thighs and softly calling his name.

“Armin? What’s wrong?” He focuses on the amber eyes in front of him, arms crossing tensely at being caught.

“Nothing, nothing, sorry. I’m just tired I guess.” He explains, though not even he would believe it. Jean squints at him, before standing up and gently taking Armin’s hand. He leads him to their bedroom and has Armin still on the bed, before sitting next to him.

“Tell me what’s wrong.” Jean asks once more, his voice soothing and filled with such genuine concern that Armin just wants to bash his own head in a wall for being this ridiculous.

“It’s stupid. I’m just being stupid.” Armin forces a laugh, though Jean’s expression tells him that he can see right through his shit.

“Armin, please, you’re never stupid. Bad at communicating? Yes. Stupid? Not so much.”

“You’re going to laugh at me, it’s really stupid.” Jean rolls his eyes, but smiles.

“I promise I won’t laugh… within reason.” Armin just glared at him, causing Jean to laugh anyway.

“Okay, okay. I promise I won’t laugh, for real.” Jean holds his hands up in mock surrender and Armin’s stomach does a flip.

“I’m… ugh, okay I’m a little jealous.” Jean blinks a few times, before furrowing his eyebrows and tilting his head like a puppy.

“Of what? Me?” He asks, concern back in his voice.

“No, no, not of you. I’m jealous of the attention you’ve been giving…. Mmmm” Armin mumbles towards the end, suddenly aware of how childish he sounds.

“I’m sorry?”

“I’m jealous of Mikasa, okay? I’m jealous that you’ve been cuddling the teddy bear instead of me.” Jean’s eyes grow wide before he’s throwing his back in laughter. He clutches his sides and Armin can hear wheezing, and his cheeks suddenly feel hot. He buries his face into the palms of his hands as his mean, jerk of a boyfriend guffaws.

“You promised!” Armin whined as Jean wheezes out apologies. Armin hates him and the stupid bear and the stupid situation itself and how -

“I’m sorry. Really. It’s just-” Jean’s wheezing makes the rest of his apology incomprehensible and Armin feels resigned to his fate of shame.

“See! I told you it was stupid.” He whines, just wanting this horrible event to be over.

“Babe, babe. It’s okay!” Jean reassures him, but the joy is evident in his voice and Armin can’t stop the pout his lips make. The stupid situation is already so childish, he may as well embrace it.

“No it’s not! it’s stupid and childish.” Armin whines again and he feels like stomping his foot, but that may be overkill and he refuses to give his boyfriend anymore blackmail material.

“Armin, why didn’t you just me you wanted to cuddle?” Jean asks and Armin feels his entire brain stop, all ability to process information frozen at how simply the solution seemed to be. How did it not think of asking?

“I… I didn’t think about asking.” He answered the blush on his cheeks returning. 

“See this is what I mean when I say we need to communicate. How long were you going to keep this to yourself?” Armin turned his head to the side, making Jean sigh.

“Armin, if it bothers you that much, I’ll do my best to cuddle you during movie time, okay. However, I will not relinquish Mikasa during sleep. Especially because you sleep with her all the time.” Armin turned to his boyfriend, mouth falling open and eyes wide.

“I do not sleep with Mikasa!” He replied indignantly. Jean smirked.

“Really?” 

“Yes, really, I would know.”

“Hmm, that’s interesting because this picture here tells me otherwise.” Jean pulled out his phone, and turned it towards Armin. 

“What?” Was all Armin could answer as he stared at his boyfriend’s homescreen. There he was, face shoved into the bear’s chest, his arms and one leg wrapped around the plushie in a vice like grip.

“This can’t be!” He said in disbelief, grabbing the phone from Jean’s hand to inspect the image further.

“Face it, babe. Everyone loves Mikasa.” Jean laughed as Armin hid his face in his hands.

“I’m sorry.” He mumbled into his hands.

“I forgive you, babe. However, I will forever make fun of you for this.” Jean joked as he wrapped Armin up in a hug, causing the blond to laugh and lay hide his head in the taller boy’s neck.

An hour or so later, they lay in bed, Armin fast asleep. Jean watches as his boyfriend nuzzles into the bear, Mikasa’s scarf laying atop his blond head like a gentle hand. He frowns as he watches the blond’s chest rise and fall with his breaths. He hates when Armin doubts himself, doubts that Jean loves him. The brunette wonders if bringing a second teddy bear for Armin would be a bit too much for their bed. Jean sighs and wraps his arms around his boyfriend, pulling both him and the bear close. He’d have to text Mikasa and Mrs. Jaeger about a suitable gift for Armin. With that in mind he drifted off to sleep content with the love of his life in his arms.


	2. Angst Ending

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the angsty, sad ending. Infidelity tag is for this chapter.

It was stupid.

It was so incredibly, stupid.

Except, despite knowing this, Armin found himself glaring at the stuffed teddy bear currently perched on his boyfriend’s bed. It was a huge thing, five feet tall and super fluffy, brown bear with a cute red scarf wrapped around their neck. They had even affectionately named the bear Mikasa, because of the scarf and the fact that their friend was currently overseas studying. Except now with Jean’s constant attachment to Mikasa the bear, if wasn’t so much as comforting as frustrating. If anyone is to blame for the utter hell Armin was currently experiencing it was himself.

Really, this was his punishment for spoiling his boyfriend. There was no need for him to have bought such a huge teddy bear for his birthday. Armin sighed. How could he resist making his Jean happy.

Except that now Jean seemed to prefer cuddling with the bear instead of him. 

Again, this was so stupid.

Armin felt like he could laugh or cry in this case, it really could go either way. He was jealous of a teddy bear. A teddy bear they named together. That he bought. To make his boyfriend happy. A fuc-

“Hey, babe, want to watch a movie?” Jean interrupts his train of thought, his head peeking through the doorway between the kitchen and the living room.

“Sure, pick anything you want.” He says, immediately regretting it when he sees Jean smirk and hears him snicker.

When he sits in front of their television and the title sequence for the 2018 remake of Halloween appears he realizes that this night might end with Jean clinging to him, despite his insistence that nothing scares him.

Except five minutes into the movie Jean pauses it and gets up to get something he ‘needs’ and returns a minute later with Mikasa. The. Damn. Teddy bear. Armin has to use all his willpower not to groan in frustration. While Jean spends the entire movie engrossed with the bloody deaths and clutching Mikasa, Armin spends it stuck in his head. He shouldn’t be upset that Jean has something that gives him comfort, he really shouldn’t. Especially since it was something he had given him. In fact it should make him proud, happy even. Logically it’s beyond stupid. Still, it digs at an old insecurity that he’s tried to hide for years. That Jean might not actually love him, that he’s just biding his time till someone better comes along. Someone like Mikasa.

Armin is so absorbed in his self-doubt that he doesn’t notice the movie ending or Jean getting up to turn on the lights. It takes Jean kneeling down in front him, hands gently rubbing his thighs and softly calling his name.

“Armin? What’s wrong?” He focuses on the amber eyes in front of him, arms crossing tensely at being caught.

“Nothing, nothing, sorry. I’m just tired I guess.” He explains, though not even he would believe it. Jean squints at him, before standing up and gently taking Armin’s hand. He leads him to their bedroom and has Armin still on the bed, before sitting next to him.

“Tell me what’s wrong.” Jean asks once more, his voice soothing and filled with such genuine concern that Armin just wants to bash his own head in a wall for being this ridiculous.

“It’s stupid. I’m just being stupid.” Armin forces a laugh, though Jean’s expression tells him that he can see right through his shit.

“Armin, please, you’re never stupid. Bad at communicating? Yes. Stupid? Not so much.”

“You’re going to laugh at me, it’s really stupid.” Jean rolls his eyes, but smiles.

“I promise I won’t laugh… within reason.” Armin just glared at him, causing Jean to laugh anyway.

“Okay, okay. I promise I won’t laugh, for real.” Jean holds his hands up in mock surrender and Armin’s stomach does a flip.

“I’m… ugh, okay I’m a little jealous.” Jean blinks a few times, before furrowing his eyebrows and tilting his head like a puppy.

“Of what? Me?” He asks, concern back in his voice.

“No, no, not of you. I’m jealous of the attention you’ve been giving…. Mmmm” Armin mumbles towards the end, suddenly aware of how childish he sounds.

“I’m sorry?”

“I’m jealous of Mikasa, okay? I’m jealous that you’ve been cuddling the teddy bear instead of me.” Jean’s eyes grow wide before he’s throwing his back in laughter. He clutches his sides and Armin can hear wheezing, and his cheeks suddenly feel hot. He buries his face into the palms of his hands as his mean, jerk of a boyfriend guffaws.

“You promised!” Armin whined as Jean wheezes out apologies. Armin hates him and the stupid bear and the stupid situation itself and how -

“I’m sorry. Really. It’s just-” Jean’s wheezing makes the rest of his apology incomprehensible and Armin feels resigned to his fate of shame.

“See! I told you it was stupid.” He whines, just wanting this horrible event to be over.

“Babe, babe. It’s okay!” Jean reassures him, but the joy is evident in his voice and Armin can’t stop the pout his lips make. The stupid situation is already so childish, he may as well embrace it.

“No it’s not! it’s stupid and childish.” Armin whines again and he feels like stomping his foot, but that may be overkill and he refuses to give his boyfriend anymore blackmail material.

“Armin, why didn’t you just me you wanted to cuddle?” Jean asks and Armin feels his entire brain stop, all ability to process information frozen at how simply the solution seemed to be. How did it not think of asking?

“I… I didn’t think about asking.” He answered the blush on his cheeks returning. 

“See this is what I mean when I say we need to communicate. How long were you going to keep this to yourself?” Armin turned his head to the side, making Jean sigh.

“Armin, if it bothers you that much, I’ll do my best to cuddle you during movie time, okay. However, I will not relinquish Mikasa during sleep. Especially because you sleep with her all the time.” Armin turned to his boyfriend, mouth falling open and eyes wide.

“I do not sleep with Mikasa!” He replied indignantly. Jean smirked.

“Really?” 

“Yes, really, I would know.”

“Hmm, that’s interesting because this picture here tells me otherwise.” Jean pulled out his phone, and turned it towards Armin. 

“What?” Was all Armin could answer as he stared at his boyfriend’s homescreen. There he was, face shoved into the bear’s chest, his arms and one leg wrapped around the plushie in a vice like grip.

“This can’t be!” He said in disbelief, grabbing the phone from Jean’s hand to inspect the image further.

“Face it, babe. Everyone loves Mikasa.” Jean laughed as Armin hid his face in his hands.

“I’m sorry.” He mumbled into his hands.

“I forgive you, babe. However, I will forever make fun of you for this.” Jean joked as he wrapped Armin up in a hug, causing the blond to laugh and lay hide his head in the taller boy’s neck.

An hour or so later, they lay in bed, Armin fast asleep. Jean watches as his boyfriend nuzzles into the bear, Mikasa’s scarf laying atop his blond head like a gentle hand. He frowns as he watches the blond’s chest rise and fall with his breaths. He hates when Armin doubts himself, doubts that Jean loves him. It makes doing what he’s been doing difficult. His phone lights up and he unlocks it to see a message pop up and he smiles. He turns around, his back towards his boyfriend and types out his answer. He’d have to text Marco tomorrow about what type of book Armin might like, if only to distract him for a while longer. Sate his curiosity until his insecurities rear their ugly head. He puts his phone on his nightstand and closes his eyes, ignoring the twist in his stomach. After all, what Armin didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him.


End file.
